The facelifted Mercedes-Benz E 300 BlueTec Hybrid sedan, announced as part of the updated E-Class range's launch in June, has made its official debut.

Priced at $108,900 plus on-roads, the E 300 enters near the top of the E-Class sedan line, with only the petrol E 400 and flagship E 63 AMG S sitting above it.

As its name suggests, the E 300 BlueTec Hybrid is powered by a diesel-electric system that combines a 2.1 litre four-cylinder diesel engine with an electric motor, producing a combined 170kW and 750Nm of torque.

On their own, the two powerplants provide 150kW/500Nm and 20kW/250Nm respectively.

Matched with Merc's 7G-tronic automatic transmission and a rear-wheel-drive layout, the system promises fuel consumption figures of 4.3 l/100km - numbers usually associated with smaller cars. CO2 emissions are listed at 113 g/km.

Mercedes-Benz says the E 300 Hybrid will hit 100km/h in 7.5 seconds.

The system also allows the diesel engine to be switched off when maintaining cruising speeds below 160km/h, initiating a function described simply as 'sailing', using only the electric motor to keep the car moving.

Mercedes has also minimised impact on storage space, with the E 300's lithium-ion battery pack stored in the engine compartment rather than beneath the floor or boot.

Braking is managed by ventilated discs at the front and solid discs at the rear, and the 19-inch wheels are wrapped in 245/35 rubber up front and 275/30 at the rear.

Features

As revealed in April, the 2013 E-Class models bring significant styling and feature upgrades, and the E 300 is no exception.